A Legacy I Dream of Leaving Behind

Something you Should Know about Me: A Legacy I Dream of Leaving Behind

(and a job description if someone wanted to hire me)

Lately I have thought of the legacy I would like to leave behind. I guess when you are single with no children and the only son of parents who were only children themselves and have a sister with no children I think you start pondering what you will leave behind maybe a little more than someone with children. (by the way. I just described me)

So. What do I want my legacy to be? This is actually kind of easy to answer (but it may appear to be a pretty “big hairy audacious goal”).

Encouraging an optimistic global generation of children having a respect for the environment and others and, ultimately, are individually and globally responsible.

I want to develop a children’s education global initiative that can grow the roots for a positive responsible global generation. I want to attack ignorance as if it is the enemy.

Although I believe it is important, I don’t mean traditional education (spelling, writing, etc.). I believe the key to facilitating a global generation centers on educating positive impact – values, understanding and respect – creating a mutual and common respect of other individual (wherever they may be) and the environment. And, ultimately, overcoming ignorance globally.

I believe this can be attained by creating an education programs centered on two aspects:

Humanizing globally. i.e., if I know that the person across the globe is more like me than I thought, I am more likely to seek common ground to resolve conflict than be indifferent to conflict

Common respect. i.e., if I understand better what is ‘right or wrong’ from a behavioral aspect

Why will this be effective now? Suffice it to say I believe there is a confluence of factors that make this concept a possibility. It is an idea that’s time has come. (and I have thought, and thought, and … well .. thought about and written how this idea can be tactically created and implemented as well as why I believe the factors – cultural & generational – have come together at this time).

A critical factor to this concept is the evolution of internet usage and global access. With that in place the key to this concept is creating a web based platform to educate 2 (okay. negative 2 age group – not born yet – to get a head start) to 8 year olds. This platform will share information to build a knowledge base of:

a common respect for life and environment, individual choice, and values

a global generation with almost a sense of camaraderie and empathy with their peers regardless of global geographic location

a sense and understanding that the value of an individual life, hopes and dreams and environment are not restricted by country boundaries but are as limitless as the mind and power of a group of individuals acting together rather than against each other.

a preparation for a life of “Enlightened Conflict” once they reach decision making or Influencer ages (where competition is conducted without ignorance)

Why is Enlightened Conflict an important objective? Let’s assume Conflict will always exist – between countries, religious beliefs, ideologies, the haves and the have nots, etc. We appear to have a unique opportunity to insure conflict can be managed to some extent. Enlightening a generation to the risks of conflict without respect (the reverse would be encouraging positive conflict or conflict with rules).

If we don’t attempt to place the underpinnings on the foundation of the global generation, then we risk the global house falling when they reach an age where they can dictate the outcome of whatever conflicts across the globe may be happening at that time. No one can doubt that there will be crises and conflict this generation will deal with. And none of us can imagine what they will be. But we should bear a responsibility for preparing them. And an internet platform offers an opportunity to create a global community thread that in the end could spare us from the direst outcomes from future conflict. Am I seeking a global socialism or global “mind”? Absolutely not. In fact I would encourage embracing local culture customs but within this infrastructure of common respect. I hesitate to use the word values because so often it has religious aspects. But if I could use it without the religious attachment it is very appropriate. I do not believe we will have a global religion but I do believe we can have global respect. I call this objective “The Global Generation and Owning a Contradiction: Community Individualism.”

To make this idea be its most effective, the concept has to embrace the contradiction. Community, a pluralism type idea, and Individuality of choice, a strength in “one” to make a difference type idea. Therefore this concept needs to enhance the sense of global community and encourage local individual choice to encourage belief that a global community is actually made from the strength of individual choices (and the global community respects local choices as long as it stays within an overall respect for life & environment construct).

The strength of this concept lies within the circular strength of the global/local relationship.

Okay. That’s the idea I would like to be my legacy. This is certainly a topline description and I have thought out tactics, implementation and strategy. And while this is an expansive concept I don’t want this program and creating “global balanced respect” to be so pie in the sky and “high road” it is unrealistic. Yet I also don’t want it to be so watered down children won’t be able to see the high road if they are capable of taking it. What I mean by “high road” is while a child in Siberia or the Congo is focused on having food on the table, they truly have dreams of an education to be able to be one of those people they see on TV or hear on radio. It is difficult for a “have” to totally understand a “have not” unless you have been in their shoes.

I believe if we build a platform that shows kids the only difference between them is actually the having or not having, it helps a lot. And then if we seek to make education (or maybe cornerstone “conflict” knowledge points) attainable for all globally that helps everyone get off on the right foot, which is where I believe it all begins.

So what makes this so less pie in the sky is “Creating a positive global imprint for environment and individual respect” is a fairly easy concept to grasp.

Ok. Regardless of all the big conceptual ideas I glossed over (but do have detailed thought for) the tactic plan of action is attainable and with these 5 things this Concept can happen:

A Leader. That’s me. Someone to organize all the different parts and keep it all moving on the same vision. A spokesperson for the vision. A cheerleader but willing to get his hands dirty in the work. Leadership vision: believing this next generation of children will be called The Global Generation and our role is to educate a foundation of values and environmental responsibility seeking to encourage an optimistic global generation of children having a respect for the environment and others and, ultimately, are individually and globally responsible.

The idea. I believe I have about 70 percent of the idea mapped out. But that is why having a great team makes an idea great. They will toss out 15 percent of what I thought was right and put all the right pieces in place to make it 100 percent great. But this idea needs to happen. Strategic
focus: values. The hope for our future, globally, is that this generation’s children have a similar sense of what is right and what is wrong – on a personal level and a ‘planet/environment’ level. We need to guide a shift generationally from ignorant conflict to an enlightened conflict mentality.

The team. I believe I have, or know, about 50 percent of the team already (if I could convince them to join). These are people who have the experience, the working knowledge, the expertise and that intangible quiet energy and enthusiasm to do good things. And they are passionate on making a positive impact on kids. And the other 50% are out there already. There are a number of smaller existing companies just waiting to take their expertise to a larger platform.

The funding. Somebody (or a group of somebodys) with a lot of money. This isn’t an inexpensive idea. And it can’t cut corners and still be great. Doesn’t mean there has to be exorbinate indiscriminate spending (it would be my job to insure there wouldn’t be). But this idea will take money. Also. The “funders” need to have some resolve and backbone. Encouraging respect for individual choice (and educating to overcome ignorance) means being open minded enough to share all sides of a choice. It will be attacked by extremists on both sides. In this case standing in the center is good. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy to stand there and take it.

Alignment of vision. This vision is strategic & tactical. As I said earlier. This is not a cold sterile idea. This is an idea to impact children. It needs to be in children’s voice and mindset. The danger is we adults need to have a different filter for development and implementation of the foundational tactics. And if anyone doesn’t have that filter it will begin to fall apart.

Bottom line.

This is about educating to overcome ignorance by focusing on the next generation of children.

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.”

Sir Winston Churchill

I am interested in helping be a builder of this next empire. I would drop anything I was doing to do this. So contact me if you want to hire me to make this idea happen.